There are several inconsistencies with county policies relating to air quality and GHG emissions:
County General Plan Policy AQ 3.3 “Avoid air pollution increases”:
- Tier 1 thresholds for Reactive organic gasses and Nitrogen oxides will be exceeded for each quarter from Qtr 1 of 2024 through Qtr 4 of 2030.
- Additionally in that 6 year period, uncontrolled fugitive dust generated during construction may result in localized pollutant concentrations that could exceed ambient air quality standards and result in increased nuisances to nearby residential land uses, which are homes to families of existing Nipomo residents.
- The Nipomo Mesa is classified as severity level lIl for PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter) and PM25 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter) in the San Luis Obispo County 2016- 2018 Resource Summary Report.
- With the proposed mitigation measures, DAILY operational ROG (reactive organic gases) and NOx (nitrogen oxide compounds) and PM (particulate matter) will be above APCD thresholds of significance during construction.
- Framework for Planning (Inland), Principle 5, Policy 2 to reduce air pollutants, GHGS and VIMTS:
- With the proposed mitigation measures, the project will increase the generation of air pollutants, GHG (greenhouses gasses) and VMT (vehicle miles travelled)
Framework for Planning (Inland), Principle 7 to encourage mixed land uses; 2019 RTP Policy Objectives 5.3, 5.4; and 2019 SCS: Community Planning & Development Standards 2 to support development to reduce VMT, GHG and other air pollutants:
- The project will increase VMT per employee and overall VMT and is therefore inconsistent with these principles, objectives, and standards.
- SLOAPCD recommended that the commercial portion of the project be expanded to provide a more appropriate ratio of residential to commercial space to bring the project into consistency with these planning documents.
APCD Clean Air Plan (Links Below)
- The project is inconsistent with the land use planning strategies in that it will further exasperate the existing jobs-to-housing imbalance in the Nipomo area.
- Project will lead to increased VMT (Vehicle Miles Travelled) and decreased transportation mobility.
Link to SLOAPCD clean air plan: https://www.slocleanair.org/rules-regulations/clean-air-plan.php
Link to Air Quality EIR section: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Departments/Planning-Building/Forms-Documents/Planning-Projects/Dana-Reserve-Specific-Plan/Draft-Program-Environmental-Impact-Report.aspx#:~:text=and%20Forestry%20Resources-,4%2D3%20Air%20Quality,-Air%20Quality